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A dreary ftillefs, faddening o'er the coaft;
Where*, when foft funs and tepid winters rose,
Rejoicing crowds inhal'd the balm of peace;
Where city'd hill to hill reflected blaze;
And where, with Ceres, Bacchus wont to hold
A genial ftrife. Her youthful form, robust,
Even Nature yields, by fire and earthquake rent;
Whole ftately cities in the dark abrupt

310

Swallow'd at once, or vile in rubbish laid,
A neft for ferpents; from the red abyss
New hills, explosive, thrown; the Lucrine lake
A reedy pool, and all to Cuma's point
The fea recovering his ufurp'd domain,
And pour'd triumphant o'er the bury'd dome. 315
Hence, Britain! learn, My best-establish'd, laft,
And, more than Greece or Rome, My fteady reign;
The land where, king and people equal bound
By guardian laws, my fullest bleffings flow,
And where My jealous unfubmitting foul,
The dread of tyrants! burns in every breaft:
Learn hence, if fuch the miferable fate

Of an heroic race, the mafters once

320

Of human-kind, what, when depriv'd of Me, How grievous must be thine? In spite of climes, 325 Whofe fun-enliven'd ether wakes the foul

To higher powers, in spite of happy foils

* All along this coaft the ancient Romans had their winter retreats, and feveral populous cities ftood.

That, but by Labour's flightest aid impell'd,

With treasures teem to thy cold clime unknown,

If there defponding fail the common arts

330

And fuftenance of life, could life itself,

Far lefs a thoughtlefs tyrant's hollow pomp,
Subfift with thee? Againft depreffing skies,
Join'd to full fpread Oppreffion's cloudy brow,
How could thy fpirits hold? where vigour find 335
Forc'd fruits to tear from their unnative foil?
Or, ftoring every harvest in thy ports,
To plough the dreadful all-producing wave?

Here paus'd the goddess: by the pause affur'd, In trembling accents thus I mov'd my prayer: 340 "Oh! firft, and moft benevolent of powers! "Come from eternal fplendours, here on earth, Against defpotic pride, and rage, and luft, "To fhield mankind, to raise them to affert "The native rights and honour of their race, 345 "Teach me, thy loweft fubject, but in zeal "Yielding to none, the progrefs of thy reign, "And with a ftrain from thee enrich the Mufe. "As thee alone fhe ferves, her patron, thou, "And great infpirer, be! then will she joy, "Tho' narrow life her lot, and private fhade, "And when her venal voice fhe barters vile, "Or to thy open or thy fecret foes,

350

"May ne'er thofe facred raptures touch her more, By flavish hearts unfelt! and may her fong

66

355

"Sink in oblivion with the nameless crew!
"Vermin of state! to thy o'erflowing light
"That owe their being, yet betray thy cause."

361

366

Then, condefcending kind, the heavenly Power Return'd" What here, fuggefted by the fcene, "I flight unfold, record and fing at home, "In that bleft ifle where (so we spirits move) With one quick effort of My will I am : "There Truth, unlicens'd, walks, and dares accoft "Even kings themfelves, the monarchs of the Free! "Fix'd on my rock, there an indulgent race "O'er Britons wield the fceptre of their choice; "And there, to finish what his fires began, "A Prince behold! for Me who burns fincere, "Even with a fubje&t's zeal. He My great work 370 "Will, parent-like, fuftain, and added give "The touch the Graces and the Mufes owe: "For Britain's glory fwells his panting breast, "And ancient arts he emulous revolves;

"His pride to let the smiling heart abroad,

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375

Thro' clouds of pomp, that but conceal the man:
To please his pleasure, bounty his delight,
And all the foul of Titus dwells in him."

Hail, glorious theme! But how, alas! fhall verfe,
From the crude ftores of mortal language drawn, 380
How, faint and tedious, fing what, piercing deep,
The goddess flash'd at once upon my foul?
For, clear precifion all, the tongue of gods

Is harmony itself; to every ear
Familiar, known like light to every eye.
Mean time difclofing ages, as she spoke,

In long fucceffion pour'd their empires forth;
Scene after scene, the human drama spread,
And ftill th' embodied picture rofe to fight.

385

Oh Thou! to whom the Mufes owe their flame, Who bidd'ft, beneath the Pole, Parnaffus rife, 391 And Hippocrenè flow, with thy bold cafe,

The ftriking force, the lightning of thy thought,
And thy ftrong phrafe, that rolls profound and clear,
Oh! gracious Goddess! re-inspire my fong,
While I, to nobler than poetic fame
Afpiring, thy commands to Britons bear,

395

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GREECE.

LIBERTY.

PART II.

The Contents.

LIBERTY traced from the Paftoral ages, and the first uniting of neighbouring families into civil government, to ver. 47. The several establishments of Liberty in Egypt, Perfia, Phoenicia, Palestine, slightly touched upon, down to her great establishment in Greece, to ver. 91. Geographical description of Greece, to ver. 113. Sparta and Athens, the two principal states of Greece, defcribed, to ver. 164. Influence of Liberty over all the Grecian flates, with regard to their government, their politeness, their virtues, their arts and fciences. The vaft fuperiority it gave them, in point of force and bravery, over the Perfians, exemplified by the action of Thermopyla, the battle of Marathon, and the retreat of the Ten Thousand. Its full exertion, and moft beautiful effc&s, in Athens, to ver. 216. Liberty the fource of free philofophy. The various fchools which took their rife from Socrates, to ver. 257. Enumeration of fine arts: Eloquence, Poetry, Mufic, Sculpture, Paint. ing, and Architecture, the effects of Liberty in Greece, and brought to their utmost perfection there, to ver. 381. Tranfition to the modern state of Greece, to ver. 411. Why Liberty declined, and was at laft entirely loft, among the Greeks, to ver. 472. Concluding reflection.

T

HUS spoke the goddess of the fearless eye,
And at her voice, renew'd, the Vifion rose.

Firft, in the dawn of time, with eastern fwains,
In woods, and tents, and cottages, I liv'd,
While on from plain to plain they led their flocks, 5
In search of clearer spring and fresher field,

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